Aviation

27.5, crash, fatalities

Russia: nine crew members of a Russian An-12 cargo aircraft were killed when it crashed near the city of Chelyabinsk in the Urals region. The aircraft reportedly malfunctioned some 10 km from the airport. It was flying to the city of Perm from Chelyabinsk. The aircraft, which belonged to Moskovia airline, was not carrying any cargo. The crew called controllers to say they felt smoke in the cockpit and decided to return to the airport for an emergency landing. The plane then disappeared from radar screens. Later local residents saw the aircraft crashing. The local department of the Emergencies Ministry said the plane most likely hit an electric power line during the emergency landing. The plane’s black box was found and will soon be decoded. The Ministry also said the crash could have been caused by a short circuit.